Corn-replanter



P. T. SELLERS.

CORN REPLANTER. APPLlc/.T'loN man m5151919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

3 /5 fm' 5 ,Paid Te/@fs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL T. SELLERS, or NICHOLASVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COBN-REPLANTER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

v Application filed February 14, 1919. Serial No. 277,061.

lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to replanting machines and more particularly to a corn replanter which is especially adapted for use in connection with a riding cultivator and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved means for movin the planting shoe in ground engaging position and for simultaneously operating the valve controlling the flow of feed to the planter shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mea-ns for optionally movingr the valve for controlling the dropping of the seeds from the planter shoe when the planter shoe is in planting position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a replanting attachment for cultivators of the above character, which is durable and eiiicient in use, one that is simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a riding cultivator of conventional construction with a replanter constructed in accordance with my invention applied.

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially onV line 2-2 of Fig. '1 showing the replanter in side view.

Fig. '3 isa fragmentary sectional view through the lower portion of the seed chute and the planting shoev andV showing the mounting of the. discharge valve therein, and

Fig. 4 vis a Vfragmentary vertical section taken through the seed box.

This replanter is intended to be usedA in connection .with a riding vcultivator of any suitable or standard construction including the frame designated generally A, axles B carrying the ground wheels and the draft attaching tongue D. This frame supports the usual shovel arms carrying the cultivator blades or shovels designatedby E. The shovels are arrangedin the usual order, in two forwardly converging series so as to thoroughly loosen and agitate the soil at each side of a row of plants along which the cultivator is drawn.

In applying my invention, an attaching block 1 is rigidly secured to the tongue D, or may be secured to anyother preferred portion of the cultivator frame. 'The forward end of an attaching beam or pull bar designated generally by 2 is pivotally secured to this block for rocking movement about a horizontal axis. This tongue or pull bar 2 is composed of two overlapping sections 3 and 4 provided with spaced openings extending in series longitudinally thereof, these openings being adapted to be brought into register to receive securin bolts inserted therethrough. This provides means whereby the effective length of the pull bar may be readily varied to accommodate cultivators of different types. The lower end of the lower section 3 is rigidly secured to the forward end of the toe portion 5 of a planter shoe 6 of usual type, this shoe being provided at its heel portion with an upwardly projecting seed tube 7 communicating therewith. vBrace rods 8 are secured to the shoe and the seed tube so as to brace this tube securely in position. In this manner, the planting shoe is connected to the cultivator so as to be rockable about a horizontal axis for movement toward and away from the ground surface.

Seed tube 7 loosely receives in its upper portion the lower portion of a downwardly tapering flexible tube 9 which is suspended from the lower end portion of the seed discharge tube 10 of a seed box 11 rigidly secured to the frame of the cultivator, tubes 9 and 10 coacting to direct seed discharge from this box into the heel portion of the planting shoe.

A bell crank lever 12 is mounted at its angle on a shaft 13 secured in the cultivator frame and extending transversely thereof, this bell crank being rockable about a horizontal axis. The upper end portion of the upper 'arm 12al of the bell'crank is shaped to provide a hand grip 12b, and the lower arm 12c of this bell crank is pivotally connected at its forward end to link 14. This link is provided at its lower end with an angularly disposed fork 15 which receives a lug 16 projecting frein the rear ot the shoe, this lug being pivotally secured to the fork by a pivot pin inserted through the arrns thereof and the lug. A comparatively strong tension coil spring 17 has its lower end connected to the planting shoe by a rod 18, the upper end of this spring being secured to the seed discharge tube 10 oi the seed box by a siinilar i'od 19. This spring acts to 'normally hold the planting shoe in raised position, preterably a distaiice'ot six inches or inore above the giouiid surface so as to prevent injury to the corn'plants by the shoe during the cultivating operation. upper arin oit bell crank 12 i'oi'wardlyand downwardly, the shoe inay be in oved into lowered position so as to entertlie ground for planting in the well known manner, againstk the tension et spring 17. "As soon as the bell crank is released,"thisspring acts to return the shoe to raised or inojrierative position. Y

A forwardly projecting arin 2O is pivotally securedto the upper arin 12 oi' bell crank 12. This arin is provided, in its i'forward end Wingnut 25 being threaded on-this 'screwj for securing` the saine in adjustment longi-VV tudinally of the slot. Rod 24 is pivotally secured 'at its forward end to a plate valveY Q6 slidable in the seed box V11. This valve operates through alined oj'ienings providedV in the 'front' and back wallsot" the box 4and the seed discharge tube 10, and is slidable between thejbottoin 11 and a guide 'traine 'designated generally by 27 mounted,within the seed box above thevalve so as to loi-in a.

substantially rectangular central opening ior supplying the seed to the valve. This valvev` Aplate is nrovided'with a longitudinal seed `opening 2S the effective size ot which is regulated by a regulating VYplate ,w29 slidable in a recess provided in the upper lace oit the valve, this plate being secured in adjustment by a screw 30 threadedintothe body ot the valve andv operable through a. slotfl inplate i readily varied-so as to accommodate a greater ror a less nuinber of seeds, as desired. The

Yseed opening ot the plate is so positioned that, when the bellcrank leverfisy rocked rearwardly and the planting shoe is held raisedby spring 17, the valve plate will be inoved rearwardly so as to discharge the seed :troni the seed receiving opening thereofY into the seed discharge tube 10. Complete withl drawal oic this plate troni the seed bor is prevented' by a downwirdly directed shoulder 32 formed at the forward endet the the box.

By rocking the:-

plate for engagement with the front wall ot' A wiping strip 33 of rubber or other suitable Inaterial'is carried by the rearward bar of the frame 27 and is positioned to reinove all surplus seed from the top ot' the plate adjacent the seed receiving opening when the valve plate is inoved rearwardly thus preventingbinding or jainining of the plate and consequent injury to the seed while insuring accuracy .ofjoperation A segmental connecting plate 33 is rockably mounted on the shail't 18 adjacent the bell crank lever 12. The uppei' corner of this plate is connected by a connecting rod 3i to the lower end of a latch lever 35 rockable on the up'perarin 12a oil the bell crank, and

the lower corner of this plate is connected 'by' a rod 3,6 to the upper corner of a siinilar plate 37 rockably inounted on a pivot pin 33 securing the adj acent endet the lower arni y 12b oit the bell crank and the link 1/1 togethern which is extended for this purpose. The lowercorner ofrplate 37 is connected by a rodl 39 to a substantially L-sliaped arni l0 of .a seed dischargevalve 11 operable iii the heel ofthe shoe.` This valve is provided, at its rearward end, with spaced upwardly directed ears l2which receive a pivot pin e3 by means of which the valve is rockably mounted' in the *shoe adjacent the lower end of the seed tube 7 of the shoe. The valve iq' further provided,at' its `forward end, with af laterally projecting linger 4:4 which extends through a slot 15 orinedthrougli the wall ot the shoe concentric with head 43. A ten sion spring /16 is secured at its lower end to this linger and at itsup'per 'end'to the seed tube 7. lThis spring acts tonorinally hold the valve l1 in raised positionso as to close the tube and prevent passage of seed there Y `from into theheel oli-the shoe.

Vln practice, the shoe'vis noriiially heldin raised position by the tension spring 17 so as teclear the-'plants whichare being cultivated and eliininate danger vof iiij ury-3 thereto. lVl'ien theoperator sees a Vvfacanthill, the bell crank leveris swung` downwardly andA 'orwardlyso as'to move the shoe into planting position, thehand Vlatch being then rocked so as to rock the 'valve 41into open position thus discharging the seed from tubef7 into the -groundat'thepr'oper position to replant the hill in question. Y When the bell crank lever is released, the planting 'shoe is returned teinoperative position, the plate valve 26 being moved frearwardlyjso as to discharge a new batch of seed into the tube 7, 'tliese'seeds be- Y ing collected Vupon the upper surfaceo valve 41': It will be understood, ol' course, that the hand latch ,is released preliminary,f 'to releasing' the bell crank lever so asjto permit 'returnof the'discharge'cvalve to closed posi'- tion, this return ofthevalve being effected by the action of the tensionV spring 46 connected to the valve, and a tension spring 47' which is secured to the segmental plate 37 adjacent the lower corner thereof and to the linl lil. The corn or other grain which has thus been planted will be covered by the action of the cultivator shovels, it being understood that the shoe is positioned in advance of and midway between the forward pair of shovels, as shown. In this manner, the vacant hills of a corn field may be readily replanted simultaneously with the lirst cultivating operation thus ellecting a material sai/ing in time and labor.

It will be evident that there may be slight changes made in the construction and arrangement of the details of my invention without departing from the field and scope of the same, and I intend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which a preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

l/Jhat I claim is:

l. ln a planting mechanism of the charcter described, a planting shoe, means for attaching said shoe to a cultivator for movement toward and away from the ground snrface, a seed box adapted to be secured to a cultivator frame, connections between said box and the shoe for holding the shoe in ra' `ed position when the box is secured to a cultivator frame, a bell crank lever mounted for rocking' movement about a horizontal axis, a link pivotally secured to the forward end of the lower arm of the bell crank lever and having its lower end pivoted to said shoe for moving the shoe downwardly into planting position when the lower arm of said lever is swung downwardly and rearwardly, means for conducting seed from the seed box to the seed tube of the planting shoe, a valve operable in the seed box, a seed discharge valve acting to normally close the seed tube of said shoe, connections between the valve of the seed box lor operating said valve so as to discharge seed from said box when the shoe is raised into inoperative position, and means carried by said lever and link and connected to the seed discharge valve for optionally discharging seed from the seed tube of the shoe.

2. The combination with a cultivator, of a planting shoe attached thereto for movement toward and away from the ground surface, means for normally holding said shoe in raised position, the shoe being provided with a seed tube, means for supplying seed to said tube when the shoe is moved into raised position, means for lowering said shoe into planting position, ya valve acting to normally close the seed tube of the shoe, and means for optionally moving said valve into open position so as to discharge seed from said tube when the planting shoe is in planting position.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL T. SELLERS. lVitncsses AcNns BLACKFORD,

Mrs. J. S. COLE. 

